State languages of the Altai Republic are Russian and Altai languages (they are equal in rights).

The Altay Republic is situated in the very center of Asia at the junction of Siberian taiga, steppes of Kazakhstan and semi-deserts of Mongolia. The Altai Republic is the territory of highlands with a very picturesque landscape, a kind of "Russian Tibet" in the center of Eurasia at the junction of several states, natural zones and cultural worlds.

The Altayi Republic borders o n such remote countries as China and Mongolia and o n near foreign country - Kazakhstan, which is the State border of the Russian Federation. The Republic has an administrative border on such subjects of the Russian Federation as the Tuva and the Khakass Republics, Altay Region and Kemerovo Oblast.

Structure of the Altai Republic consists of 10 administrative regiones and its capital - a city of Gorno-Altaisk.

The extent of automobile roads is more than 3,5 thousand km, 572 km of them - the main motor highway, the route of Federal importance Novosibirsk-Biysk-Tashanta (Tchujskiy Highway).

Mountainous relief of landscape is the prevalent one. The Republic is situated within the Russian part of the mountain system of Altai (Gorny Altai), that's why the relief of the Republic is characterized by high mountain ridges separated from each other by narrow and deep river valleys, rare and wide intermountain hollows.The highest peak - Belukha - being 4506 m is the highest point in Siberia.

The preliminary population quantity constituted 204,5 thousand people (according to the data of 2006.01.01), National composition of the population structure of the Altai Republic is extremely diverse. Here live more than 100 nationalities and nations. The most part of the population - 57,4% - are the Russians The Altaians (30,6 %) are indigenous population and are presented as a totality of small Turkic peoples: the Teleuts, the Telengits, the Altai-Kizhi, the Kumandins, the Tchalkans, the Shorts, the Tubalars. Old-believers also live in Altai. They are considered indigenous population, although mainly they are representatives of Russian religious and communal structures having moved to the Republic's territory more than 200 years ago. The Kazakhs constitute about 6% of the population and keep to the national and cultural traditions. The rest part consists of the Ukrainians, the Germans, the Letts, the Estonians and other nations and constitutes about 3%.

Such natural objects as Teletskoye Lake, Belukha Mountain, Altai and Katun Preserves, and Zone of Peace ‘Ukok’ were included by UNESCO to the list of Universal Heritage.